"Abstinent, Overbearing CEO"

Chapter 14: When Will This End?

In the middle of the night, Desmond sat on the edge of the bed, his attention absorbed in the files on his laptop. Lying next to him, Rosalina's even breathing filled the room. She was utterly exhausted, so much so that she didn’t even care if Desmond had fallen asleep yet—she simply couldn’t keep her eyes open.

Desmond turned his gaze towards her. Her face was soft and flushed in her sleep, her cheek resting on the pillow. Her long eyelashes rested delicately on her eyelids, her lips parted slightly in a small pout. She looked incredibly innocent, almost childlike. Desmond found himself momentarily entranced. He reached out instinctively and brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

As his fingers grazed her skin, Rosalina stirred, a faint frown crossing her features. Without waking up, her hand moved across the bed and found its way onto Desmond’s thigh, clutching the fabric of his robe.

"Rosalina," Desmond whispered, his voice sharp yet calm. "Let go."

But Rosalina remained deep in sleep, unmoving, her grip tight on his robe. Desmond raised an eyebrow in annoyance but then bent down, pressing his lips against hers. He kissed her passionately, greedily, before pulling away.

Rosalina, still asleep, instinctively licked her lips, her brows softening as she let out a faint sigh. She murmured, then returned to her peaceful slumber, breathing softly. Desmond’s mind wandered back to the conversation he overheard in the hallway earlier—the conversation that had ignited his anger.

He recalled how Rosalina, her voice tinged with hopelessness, had spoken to Lin Xiao: "You said I was ugly, that you wanted to puke when you saw me."

"When Qin Mengyan and her friends beat me up, yanked my hair, and threw my books, where were you?"

"I was sick, crying, asking you to buy me medicine, and you told me to go die."

Desmond’s gaze darkened as he thought about it. What had she gone through? What had shaped her into the woman she was today?

The next morning, Rosalina woke up to find it was already 10 a.m. Panic seized her as she jumped out of bed, only to remember that Desmond had given her the day off. A wave of relief washed over her.

Desmond was already gone. The suite was empty, and Rosalina felt an unexpected sense of freedom. She took a quick shower, changed into the casual clothes she had bought—loose hoodie and skinny jeans. With no makeup on, she looked like a fresh-faced college student, the weight of the world momentarily lifted from her shoulders.

Just as she was about to leave, her phone rang. It was Su Ruo.

"Rosalina, you need to come save me! Desmond’s already smashed his ninth coffee cup..."

"Why?" Rosalina asked, confused.

"He said the coffee temperature was wrong..."

Su Ruo’s voice was tinged with distress. Rosalina frowned. “But we’ve been making him hot American coffee with Guixia beans at 60°C. How could it be wrong? The machine’s temperature settings are all correct."

"Exactly, I don’t know what's wrong either. But Desmond says it's not right."

Rosalina could hear the underlying truth in Su Ruo’s voice—this wasn’t about coffee temperature. Desmond was just angry because Rosalina wasn't there. Since becoming his personal secretary, Rosalina had never taken a day off. And now, on her first day off, Desmond had become a raging beast. In less than two hours, he had destroyed nine coffee cups, smashed a phone, broken a laptop, and kicked over a chair. Everyone in the office had been yelled at, including Wu Yan. If this continued, the entire executive floor would be in ruins.

Rosalina bit her lip. She knew what Su Ruo wanted. She wanted Rosalina to come back to the office and calm Desmond down. But this was the first time she had a break, a rare gift from Desmond. How could she give it up so easily?

"Sorry, Ruo Ruo," Rosalina said softly, her voice tinged with exhaustion. "I’m not feeling well. I can't come in today. Just bear with it. Tomorrow, I’ll make him ten cups of coffee if needed!"

She wasn’t lying—she had been feeling off since yesterday afternoon. She hadn’t eaten anything since lunch, and the events of the previous night had taken a physical toll on her. Her stomach was churning, a constant reminder of the emotional and physical strain she had been under.

"I understand, Rosalina. You rest up. I'll handle it here. Desmond's temper... well, he’s hard to handle, but he’ll get over it," Su Ruo reassured her.

“Thanks, Ruo Ruo!” Rosalina ended the call and decided to grab a quick bite before heading to Lawyer Wang’s office.

She bought some fruit and supplements on her way to the law firm and knocked on the door to Wang Kejin's office.

“Uncle Wang,” she called, her voice soft.

Wang Kejin looked up from his desk, smiling warmly when he saw her. He took off his glasses, and his weathered eyes crinkled with joy. He had worked for her father, Xiao Ming, many years ago. After Xiao Ming and his wife, Li Xiayu, passed away in the accident, Wang Kejin had opened his own law firm and continued to support Rosalina in any way he could.

“Rosalina, what brings you here?” Wang Kejin asked, his voice full of affection.

“I just wanted to visit you today, Uncle Wang. I’m on a break, so I thought I’d stop by and say hello,” she said, placing the bags of fruit and vitamins on the desk.

Wang Kejin’s expression softened as he looked at Rosalina. This girl had always been so strong, even though life had been incredibly hard on her. He couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of affection for her.

"Have you eaten yet?" Wang Kejin asked kindly. “I have some things to finish, but I can have my secretary order something for you."

“No, Uncle Wang, I’ve eaten already. I just wanted to spend a little time with you,” she replied.

Wang Kejin nodded and set down his pen. “By the way, Rosalina, I’ve been continuing my investigation into the car accident that took your parents’ lives. The brake system was tampered with, and I’ve been visiting the police station regularly. But you know how it is—new cases keep coming in, and without pressure from above, it’s hard to get any results.”

Rosalina nodded, a bittersweet smile touching her lips. “I know, Uncle Wang. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me and for my parents. I’m not here today to ask about that, though. It’s just been a while since we’ve talked, and I wanted to see you and Aunt Xu.”

Wang Kejin’s expression softened as he thought of his wife, Xu Zhen, and their own daughter, who had long since married and moved abroad. He had always wanted to take Rosalina in as a daughter, but after her father’s death, she had been taken in by the Lin family, who hadn’t treated her well. If she had been raised by them, he thought, she might have had a much happier life.

“By the way, Rosalina,” he said, his voice filled with concern. “You’re 24 now. Do you have a boyfriend?”

Rosalina’s face turned red. “Uncle Wang, I’m so busy I don’t even have time to think about that.”

Wang Kejin chuckled, but his eyes were filled with understanding. “I won’t ask any more. Just promise me you’ll come by and visit more often. Let Aunt Xu cook some of your favorite dishes.”

“Thank you, Uncle Wang. I’ll come by soon,” Rosalina said with a smile.

After a few more minutes of conversation, Rosalina left Wang Kejin’s office. The sun was warm and soft, casting a golden glow on her face. For the first time in a long while, she felt a sense of calm wash over her, as though the weight on her shoulders had lightened.

As she stepped into the sunlight, Rosalina let out a deep sigh. A boyfriend? She longed for someone she could rely on. But after becoming Desmond’s plaything, who would want her? Was she destined to wait until Desmond grew bored of her and discarded her like an old toy? When would this cruel cycle end?